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Category: General

Home Good’s Round Up

Its back!!!!…the Home Goods Round Up…I have not been to Home Goods since the last post so this was longgggggg overdue!!!!  I found some really great things, esp for Summer Entertaining!!  All of these items were found yesterday at the Home Goods in Port Chester.   Happy Shopping!!!

I love this square “boxwood” wreath for the front door!!

This is so great for a bathroom…the seat lifts up for storage.

I love these utensil holders.  They would look great on an outdoor dining table!!!  I need to go back!!!

I love this outdoor entertaining bar cart!!!

These outdoor planters are so cool!!!!

I also love this garden stool!!!

These plates are great!!!!

How cool is this wine holder!!!!
These lamps are fabulous!!!!  And there was a pair!!!!  I wish I had a place for them…

Remember my obsession with rattan last summer?  How perfect is this?  I am still dreaming about it.

There were so many really really nice beach towels!!!

I had to show you the entire beach towel isle.

This bamboo magazine rack is incredible!!!

These LOVE signs are perfect for a teen girls desk or a college dorm room.

These baskets are amazing!!!  I could see them in a pool house or in a cabana.

These water bottles make a great gift!!!!

These tiki glasses are a must-have for summer cocktails!!!

These drink mixes are so much fun!!!

My husband always asks for a new cooler…Voila!!! 

The planters would be so great out on a patio filled with succulents or mini ferns!!!

A Lemon Cake To Die For

I found this recipe on Pinterest  At Mother’s Day dinner, I noticed that the lemon desserts were so popular.  I started thinking that I really never bake anything lemon.  Soooooooooo I thought I would try this.  Also, I was very happy to read that it is Weight Watchers Friendly, i.e. LOW POINTS!!!!!  Bon Appetit!!!!!

image MarthaStewart.com

adapted from skinnypoints.com

Cake
1 box of yellow cake mix.
1 small box of instant lemon pudding mix.
¾ cup of oil.
¾ cup of water.
4 beaten eggs.

Glaze


2 cups of powdered sugar.




2 tbsps of melted butter.


2 tbsps of water.







⅓ cup of lemon juice.
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9×13 baking pan.
In a bowl beat the eggs and mix in the cake mix, lemon pudding, oil and water until well combined.
Pour the batter in the pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and water until well combined.
Once baked, poke holes in the cake with a wooden spoon and pour the glaze over it.

An Organized Pantry

Over the weekend, I tackled my pantry.  It seems to be one of the most disorganized areas of my house.  Probably because, everyone is always going in there looking for something.  I bought chrome baskets for the shelves.  I keep chips, hot chocolate, pasta, crackers, mixes, ziplocs and foodwraps, etc. sorted in each.  On the top shelf I keep cans and sauces.  Because you can see through the baskets, it makes it very easy find everything and to put the groceries away.  I have not bought plastic storage containers, for cereal and rice, yet but thats next! (I think they will go on the bottom shelf)!!

Here are the BASKETS that I use in my pantry.  I also like THESE to hold canned goods.  And HERE is a great set of storage containers!!

image Decoist.com
image www.bhg.com
image www.classyclutter.net
image duoventures.com
image diynetwork.com
And my friend Karen, of K’s Kitchen was kind enough to share her 
“pantry essentials” list with us:
2 cans of chick peas/garbanzo beans
Jarred anchovies in oil
Jarred hearts of palm 
2 large cans crushed San Marzano Tomatoes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
Peanut butter, smooth and chunky
Vinegars; champagne, balsamic, red wine, cider, rice
Good olive oil, extra virgin for salads and regular for cooking
Tahini (great in dips, sauces, stir fry)
Capers
Olives; black, Spanish, kalamata
Organic stock; chicken, beef & vegetable
Agave
Real maple syrup
Coarse kosher salt
Water chestnuts
Different shaped pastas
Different grains; rice, farro, Israeli couscous, lentils
Nut assortment; sliced almonds, walnuts, pine nuts
Soy Vay Teriyaki 
Sriracha sauce
Panko

Beach House Cafe

Last week, I went to the most delicious tasting menu dinner at the Beach House Cafe in Old Greenwich.  We tried many of the appetizers and entrees.  From Tuna Tartare to Seafood Risotto and Crackling’ Duck, everything was amazing!!!  I highly recommend stopping by for lunch or dinner.  I hear they also have an incredible brunch, which I am going to try next!!  The decor was also very hip and added to the enjoyable vibe of the restaurant.

To view the menus or for more information, click HERE.

Book Club Monday

Since Harry and Megan’s Royal wedding is this upcoming Saturday, I thought I would feature a book on the soon to be Princess.   Andrew Morton, the royal biographer,  gives us a glimpse into Megan’s world and we get to know who she is, her background and how she will fit in with the Royal Family!!!!!!  Here is the summary:

Women who smash the royal mold have always fascinated the public, from Grace Kelly to Princess Diana. Now acclaimed royal biographer Andrew Morton, the New York Times bestselling author of Diana: Her True Story, brings us a revealing, juicy, and inspiring look at Meghan Markle, the confident and charismatic duchess-to-be whose warm and affectionate engagement interview won the hearts of the world.

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were set up by a mutual friend on a blind date in July 2016, little did they know that the resulting whirlwind romance would lead to their engagement in November 2017 and marriage in May 2018.

Morton goes back to Meghan’s roots to uncover the story of her childhood growing up in The Valley in Los Angeles, her studies at an all-girls Catholic school, and her fraught family life-a painful experience mirrored by Harry’s own background. Morton also delves into her previous marriage and divorce in 2013, her struggles in Hollywood as her mixed heritage was used against her, her big break in the hit TV show Suits, and her work for a humanitarian ambassador-the latter so reminiscent of Princess Diana’s passions. Finally, we see how the royal romance played out across two continents but was kept fiercely secret, before the news finally broke and Meghan was thrust into the global media’s spotlight.

Drawing on exclusive interviews with her family members and closest friends, and including never-before-seen photographs, Morton introduces us to the real Meghan as he reflects on the impact that she has already had on the rigid traditions of the House of Windsor, as well as what the future might hold.- Amazon.com





For more information or to order this book. click, HERE.






image Amazon.com

Tiffany Mimosas For Mother’s Day

I could not resist.  I usually do not post 2 recipes in one week BUT this looked wayyyyy too good to pass up!!!  Happy Mother’s Day Fashionistas!!!!!!!!

image delish.com
Tiffany Mimosa
(adapted from Delish.com)
1 slice lemon
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. Blue Curacao, divided
1 bottle Champagne or Prosecco
2 c. lemonade, divided


  1. Place sugar on a small shallow plate. Rim each champagne flute with lemon wedge and dip in sugar.
    Divide blue curacao evenly between each glass. Fill halfway with bubbly, then top with lemonade.